In the near future, NASA will soon launch a mission to Mars. On July 30, 2020, the Perseverance rover is expected to join the "Hope" of the United Arab Emirates and Tianwen-1 from China, on their way to the Red Planet.
Once landing in Jezero Crater on Mars (estimated on February 18, 2021), Perseverance will begin to investigate the geology of the surrounding environment and assess whether it is habitable.
Not only that, this mission will also carry out other activities. For the first time, two microphones in Perseverance will capture the sound that is on Mars. This was done to help scientists know the composition of rocks on the planet by hearing the sound of their pop to help examine the rover's instruments.
However, the main function of the microphone seems to be to answer the question long ago about how the situation on Mars.
The struggle to get the Red Planet vote is not easy. At least three experiments have been carried out since sending the microphone there in 1999, but it has never been successful.
The microphone in the body of Perseverance hasn't changed much from the initial design. They remain in neat little boxes weighing about 30 grams (1 ounce).
"Waiting for the first voice from Mars is very tense," said Louis Friedman, founder of the Planetary Society and the power behind Mars Microphone.
The old adage says that "in space no one can hear you scream", but that is not entirely true. Sound is a mechanical wave that requires media to travel.
Even though the room is very empty, it is not a vacuum. There are still particles scattered around which can transmit sound waves, especially in denser areas around the planet.
On the surface of Mars, atmospheric pressure is very small, less than 1% of Earth's surface pressure. But even at this pressure, acoustic signals in the frequency range of human hearing can be detected.
Will we hear the sound of a whirling wind, a kind of thunder in a sandstorm, or something completely unexpected? Only time will answer and it won't be long.
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